


Inconvenience

by Iron_Eirlyssa (Eirlyssa)



Series: Eirlyssa's 2019 Bingo Fills [18]
Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Bucky Barnes Bingo 2019, Bucky Barnes is Trying To Help, Height Differences, Howard Stark's A+ Parenting, M/M, Maria Stark's A+ Parenting, Neither of them were good parents, References to Illness, Sickfic, Sweet Bucky Barnes, Tony Stark Flash Bingo 2019, Tony Stark Has Issues, Tony Stark Needs a Hug, WinterIron Bingo 2019
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-24
Updated: 2019-12-24
Packaged: 2021-02-25 22:07:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,187
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21942628
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Eirlyssa/pseuds/Iron_Eirlyssa
Summary: For as long as he was able to remember, Tony had known that being ill made him a nuisance to others. It was better to deal with it alone, without bothering anyone else.Bucky disagreed.
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Tony Stark
Series: Eirlyssa's 2019 Bingo Fills [18]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1272110
Comments: 11
Kudos: 456
Collections: Bucky Barnes Bingo 2019, Tony Stark Flash Bingo, WinterIron Bingo 2019





	Inconvenience

**Author's Note:**

> A fic filling a couple of bingo squares:  
> \- 011 - "JARVIS" for the Tony Stark Flash Bingo  
> \- Square G2 - Sickfic for the WinterIron Bingo, which gives me a bingo _just_ in time!  
> \- Square B1 - Height Difference for the Bucky Barnes Bingo.
> 
> I hope you all enjoy, and I wish you happy (and healthy) holidays!!

It was so, so cold.

Tony knew it was just him, of course. The fever wasn’t so bad that he’d completely lost track of what was happening around him, let alone the fact that he was ill. But that didn’t change the fact that he felt like he was _freezing_ , nor the fact that he couldn’t stop shivering miserably.

He swallowed back another whimper, aware it wouldn’t help anyways. He _hated_ being sick, hated feeling like this, but sometimes there just wasn’t anything to do except ride it out.

Despite the fact that he knew he should reach out and take at least some sips from the glass of water that DUM-E had procured for him, he couldn’t bring himself to remove his arm from under the pile of blankets and out into the cold. Not to mention he knew the glass would hurt to touch due to the temperature difference and possibly make him feel even colder.

Most he could do was simply breathe through it all and tell himself it’d pass - it always did, just always took longer than he wanted it to as well. But he could get through this, on his own, as he always did.

Neither of his parents had been very interested in him when he was ill. One of his earliest memories was lying in bed, feverish and asking for his mother, only for her to pull up her nose as he had to throw up. She’d called for Jarvis and then left again, and as far as he could recall, she hadn’t come to see him again until he was well.

Jarvis had been better, there to help and support him, but he could never spend much time with him when he was ill. He had plenty to do, after all, and couldn’t simply spend his day by Tony’s bedside just because he wasn’t feeling great.

In all, Tony had learned pretty quickly that being ill was an inconvenience, made _him_ an inconvenience, and whenever it was impossible to hide that he was sick, it was usually best to isolate himself and wait it all out.

Even years later, it was something he fell back on. It was unpleasant, no denying it, but overall, he felt it was a better option than annoying other people even more than he usually did. They had their own lives to live, after all, and Tony knew better than to hope that they’d take time out of their busy lives to spend time with him when he was utterly and completely useless.

Another shiver ran through his body, and he clenched his eyes and mouth shut against the miserable whine that wanted to escape him. He was _not_ that pathetic, he _wasn’t_.

Turning again, curling up even tighter in hopes it would help him warm up a little, he couldn’t help but sigh a little at the feel of the sweater he was wearing.

While most things felt too rough on his skin, the sweater he’d ‘borrowed’ from Bucky was wonderfully soft, and its scent helped to soothe him as well. Ever since he’d come in from the cold, the former Winter Soldier actually preferred the comfiest of clothing whenever they weren’t out in the field, and even before they’d gotten together, Tony had been more than happy to provide.

It had been a few weeks since he’d taken the sweater, but whenever Tony’s nose wasn’t clogged up, he could still smell Bucky on it. He’d started it a while ago, and while he suspected that his partner was well-aware he had a tendency of holding some of his comfiest sweaters hostage until they stopped smelling like Bucky, the other man had never said a word. So either he knew and didn’t mind, or he didn’t notice and therefore couldn’t mind. In all, Tony took it as acceptance.

Which he was incredibly happy about, because right now it was just about one of the only things he could bear touching his skin. The only other thing he was wearing was a pair of the softest socks ever that he faintly recalled Natasha giving to him, in a hopeless effort to warm up his feet.

He needed to get better as soon as possible, though. And to do that, he needed to make sure he drank enough that JARVIS wouldn’t have to call in an actual doctor for what was probably no more than a severe flu.

“Alright, I’ve got this,” he croaked, hoping it would help convince himself. “I’ve _got this_.”

The air felt frigid to his fever-hot skin, but he _refused_ to let out the whine building in his chest. No one except JARVIS might be there to hear him, but he was _Tony Stark_ , and Stark men were made of _iron_ , and he could grab a glass of water and take a few sips from it without sounding pathetic.

Relief filled him when he managed to move the sleeves of the sweater over his hands so he wouldn’t have to touch the glass directly. While Tony wasn’t delicate in any sense of the word, Bucky was… _large_. It wasn’t something he’d necessarily been attracted to in the first place, but now that they were together, he had to admit it was one of the things he ~~loved~~ liked most about his partner.

Forcing back another whimper - Tesla, what he wouldn’t give for Bucky to be here to hold him and make him feel safe and treasured and cared for - he put his lips to the straw and took a sip.

Oh… _Oh_ , that was nice. With a brief sigh of relief, he took another sip, delighting in the way it soothed his sore throat. That might actually be worth moving his arm from the blankets for, because he had _needed_ that.

“Sir, Sergeant Barnes is asking about you,” JARVIS told him, voice gentle in order not to aggravate Tony’s headache.

And as much as he wanted Bucky there… He knew he couldn’t, knew it’d be a bother and maybe Bucky would feel obliged to stay with him when he didn’t want to at all, and… “You know what to say, J,” he told his creation, voice no more than a whisper. By now, J had enough experience with Tony being ill that he was able to brush all of them off until Tony was feeling better again. Mostly, it involved Tony being in the lab and too involved with inventing to be bothered.

“I did, Sir.” Oh, bother. Tony honestly did not have the energy to deal with this. “He requested that I ask you if he might know the truth, or if you would honestly prefer not to be bothered, in which case he admitted that he would prefer to simply be told so. He appears concerned.”

It took effort, but he managed to turn his whimper into a simple sigh. No one else had _ever_ had any trouble with what he’d had JARVIS tell them, but if figured Bucky would see right through it.

There were a lot of factors contributing to Tony’s decision, not the least of which was the combination of feeling awful and wanting someone there to help him feel even marginally better. Had he thought of this possibility when he was healthy, he probably would have stuck with insisting he be left to deal with it alone. But despite the newness of their relationship, he ~~loved~~ cared for Bucky, and he couldn’t help but think of the way the other man had always been able to help him feel better.

So he took another sip before giving a small nod. “Alright, just… tell him I’m ill. And that I can deal with it, and… he doesn’t have to bother… I mean, I’ll be fine, and he’s got things to do, and…” He coughed, trailing off, and grimaced when the coughs hurt his already painful throat. It should be enough, should tell Bucky what he needed to know.

For a few moments, JARVIS was silent as he no doubt informed Bucky.

Despite what he’d said, Tony couldn’t help the small spark of hope, of wondering if maybe, _maybe_ , someone would be willing to be there for him when he…

“Sergeant Barnes has requested if he may come by regardless,” JARVIS spoke up again, voice gentle and sympathetic. “He understands if you would prefer to be alone, and says it is your choice, but he would like to come see you.”

And wasn’t it odd that it was this small, tiny thing, this wish to be with him regardless of how utterly useless he was at the moment, was what finally made him incapable of keeping from whimpering? He just didn’t want to be _alone_ anymore, feeling terrible and uncomfortable and in pain.

What he wanted to say was something along the lines of ‘if he wants to’ or ‘if he’s sure’, but what came out instead was an almost desperate “ _yes_ ”.

It seemed like no time at all until the door to his bedroom opened, and Tony narrowed his eyes suspiciously. He didn’t think his fever threw off his estimation of time _this_ much. “Were you waiting there?” JARVIS might not have let him into the penthouse, but that didn’t mean Bucky couldn’t have gotten to the door.

Usually, he’d have teased Bucky about the slight blush that covered his cheeks. “Maybe?” Right now, however, he was feeling utterly miserable and the thought that his partner wanted to be with him enough to be waiting right outside for his permission to come in made his eyes tear up a little with emotion. Much like any other embarrassing sounds and expressions, however, he managed to swallow the tears back.

Instead, he smiled a little awkwardly. “I’m sorry, I’m not really… Y’know…”

“Doll, you don’t need to be _anything_ right now,” Bucky instantly replied, a frown replacing the previous blush. “You just make sure to rest and feel better.”

“I’m working on it,” he assured his partner, putting as much conviction into the words as his throat allowed.

Somehow, Bucky did not appear to be assured at all.

“It’s just a small cold,” he tried again, trying to suppress his shivers. Subtly, he moved the blankets up a bit further, hoping they would warm him up. “Should only take a few more days before I’m up and useful again.”

“Hey, hey,” Bucky told him gently, sitting beside him on the bed and putting his right hand on Tony’s hot forehead. Even at his higher body temperature, it felt amazing - not so cold it hurt, but it did ease some of the pounding of his head - and Tony leaned into it with a soft sigh. “I wouldn’t care if it took you an entire year, except for the fact that you’d be feeling bad for that time. I don’t lo-like you because you’re useful, sweetheart.”

“But I’m… I’m gross, and I can’t focus on anything, and…”

“And that’s just fine.” As if to get his point across, he sat on the bed by Tony’s side. Amazingly, he didn’t seem to care that Tony was sweaty, or that the pillows were as well, instead just leaning back. Tony couldn’t resist leaning into him the way he usually did, fitting perfectly under Bucky’s arm and putting his head on that broad chest, right over where Bucky’s heart was beating. “It’s perfectly normal to get sick, and that doesn’t change anything about you except that you need a few days of being spoiled and taken care of - and that’s _not_ a bad thing.”

He blamed the fever for his lack of brain-to-mouth filter at that moment. “It’s always been a bad thing,” he confessed.

“It isn’t to me,” was the instant response, and Bucky sounded so _certain_. “I’d happily spoil you anytime you need it - the only thing I don’t like about it is that it makes you feel bad, and that’s not your fault at all.”

“You’re weird,” Tony couldn’t help remarking. “But that’s a good thing.”

“Maybe.” He didn't sound like he believed it, but it was obvious he also didn’t want to argue while Tony was ill.

He took another few sips of his water, delighting in the way it soothed his sore throat at least for the moment. Then, hesitantly, he held out the glass to Bucky. “Could you put this on the nightstand?”

Bucky seemed utterly unbothered, easily taking the glass and putting it to the side. “Sure thing, sweetheart.” It probably wasn’t fair to wonder how long he’d manage before he got tired of Tony being ill, but… it was what he was familiar with. People just… didn’t have the time to be dealing with him when there wasn’t anything he could do for them, when there wasn’t much he could do in general except lie there and be miserable.

Still, as he listened to Bucky’s calm heartbeat in his ear, and the way he started softly humming a song Tony vaguely recognized, he couldn’t help but hope that Bucky _was_ actually different.

Maybe, he thought as he drifted off, someone would actually stay with him.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed. Feel free to come say 'hi' on my [Tumblr](https://eirlyssa.tumblr.com/) as well :)


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